| On a bright, sunny and cold March day on Manhattan island in New York, Amtrak "Empire Service" train 280 has just passed under the George Washington Bridge (one of many that connect New York to New Jersey, and the GWB is part of New Jersey governor Chris Christie's legacy) as it makes its way from Niagra Falls, New York, to Penn Station in New York City - just a few miles ahead. This is the Fort Washington section of New York City, and the train is still paralleling the Hudson River as it heads south (or east, according to the Amtrak timetable). A recent series of cold Nor'easter storms is keeping Spring at bay for now, but beneath the adjacent park's bare trees, tulip and daffodil shoots are poking through the soil, indicating that Spring is not too far off. Amtrak P32AC-DM 705, a dual mode (third rail electric and diesel-electric) locomotive, is pulling this train consisting of Amfleet cars. AMTK 705 is looking very ragged at this point, and will most likely be getting repainted soon into the new scheme being applied to the rest of the P32AC-DM locomotives - the new scheme is a throw-back to the carrier's "Phase III" stripe scheme, with the addition of a large, colorful Empire Service logo to the sides just behind the cab. (New York, NY - March 15, 2018) |